The Master Cleanser

On October 28 I started a 10-day fast created by Stanley Burroughs and featured in his book The Master Cleanser. Also known as the "lemonade diet", the intent is to detoxify and cleanse the body, although one of the side benefits is weight loss. In a nutshell, the main source of nourishment during the fast is a drink made with water, fresh-squeezed lemon and lime juice, Grade B maple syrup (very important not to use Grade A) and cayenne pepper. In addition, the diet calls for a laxative tea, morning and evening, and for greater cleansing, a salt water "bath" (taken internally) using water and uniodized sea salt. Herbal teas (especially mint, for the breath and for its tummy-soothing abilities) are also okay.

I had been wanting to make a change in my diet and I had heard the benefits of doing a fast/detox at least twice a year -- usually in the fall and in the spring. I have been in the habit of fasting one day a week pretty regularly for the past year or so, but I was feeling that something more radical was called for. During my one-day fasts, I would spend my time praying, meditating and reading uplifting material and I loved the energy and clarity I felt. I reasoned that a longer fast would only multiply the benefits.

I had heard others in different e-groups I belong to talking about the master cleanser and when I began to research, I found a ton of information online. A good deal of it -- not surprisingly -- had various product offers attached to it, but after sorting through all of that, I decided to try out the lemonade diet for myself. Avoiding a lot of the extra books and supplements and even water bottles offered for sale (!) along with the diet, I bought Stanley Burroughs' book. About this time, I happened to mention to a friend that I was planning on starting the diet and she said she was familiar with it and would be willing to do it at the same time I did so we could support each other and compare notes. We set a start date for the fast of October 28.

As I've never been a big breakfast person and tend to eat later in the day, I really didn't feel all that hungry the first day. The lemonade was surprisingly tasty and refreshing, as was the laxative tea. As the days wore on, however, I was shocked to realize how much I thought about food and how much of my time was taken up with thinking about it, buying it and preparing it. And even though I'm in the habit of giving thanks before a meal, I also realized that my eating really seemed to be on automatic pilot, without a lot of consciousness about what my body really needed and if what I was feeding it was with the idea of optimum health in mind.

Even more interesting was the response of many of the people in my circle. People were surprised and concerned about me and some seemed vaguely uncomfortable. One person was concerned that I was doing some kind of penance! No, I reassured them, it was mainly for health reasons. But for some folks, the idea of fasting and health didn't belong in the same sentence. It just wasn't something that a lot of them were familiar with.

I can't claim to be an expert on the subject of fasting, but I can share from my own experience, which is that in my one-day fasts and in the 10-day fast, I felt a lot of energy and clarity of thought. The 10-day fast gave me a lot of time to think (since the only "cooking" I was doing was making the lemonade and boiling water) and to just nurture myself. It makes sense to me that my digestive system needs a rest every now and again.

The lemonade really did satisfy me, although I must admit that I was tempted to go off the diet on some occasions. Interestingly, seeing my husband eat wasn't the toughest part. The toughest times for me were when I was alone at home. I would start fantasizing about when I had completed the fast and I could have vegetable soup. And television didn't help! I became really conscious of just how many ads there are involving food -- and usually the worst kinds of foods for you! Probably the toughest times of all were in the first few days, when I was in major caffeine withdrawal and, as Burroughs mentions in his book, the lemonade stirs up the toxins in the body, making you feel generally not-so-good -- at least if your eating habits are as unconscious as mine have been. If you're on a high-quality vegan diet with no caffeine, processed foods or sugar (same difference), then the lemonade diet probably won't be as challenging for you as it was for me. Hey, I did say I wanted to make some changes! :-)

It was great to have a friend to go through the fast with me. She faced many of the same challenges I did, and although she didn't go the entire 10 days, she said that the diet definitely inspired her to change her eating habits and to do regular (if shorter) fasts in the future.

By the time Day 10 rolled around, I knew that I didn't want to try to go even one day more. Psychologically, I was ready for more sustenance. But I did follow Burroughs' recommendation to go very, very slowly back into solid food. For the first day and a half after you choose to break the fast, you're only drinking fresh-squeezed orange juice. Then at the end of Day Two (at the end of the fast), you can have fresh vegetable broth with some rye crackers. Day Three, you start again with fresh orange juice and then you can have vegetable broth with some vegetables. On Day Four, you can begin eating solid foods, although it's recommended that you stay away from meat, dairy, eggs, sugar and caffeine. (Big surprise!)

I definitely plan to do the Master Cleanse again and I know it has changed my attitude and my eating habits quite a bit. I am definitely eating less and I'm eating more consciously than ever. Now my husband is talking about doing the diet and we're discussing becoming vegetarians, at least, with an eye toward a vegan diet in the future. For us, it's more for health reasons than anything else, although I like the idea of being kinder and gentler to animals and all living things, as well. It's a win-win.

**If you're interested in doing the Master Cleanse, please do your homework and check with a medical professional before undertaking it. It's a pretty radical approach, even for someone in reasonably good health. That being said, read Stanley Burroughs' book for testimonials of how the diet helped people with severe health challenges and judge for yourself if this diet can help you make positive changes.

Here are a couple of websites that helped me:

http://www.bc1.com/~vitagem/Master_Cleanser.htm
http://www.therawfoodsite.com/mastercleanse.htm (A little more commercial, but still has some good information.)

Good health to you!